1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally related to work support benches and machinery for securely holding a workpiece in a position where the workpiece may be formed with a cutting tool and specifically to a pneumatically operated press or jig for selectively urging and retaining a workpiece against the underside of a cutting tool guide template after the workpiece has been properly aligned against a guide frame mounted on the template. After the workpiece has been placed and retained within the jig, a router or similar cutting tool is guided by slots in the template so as to follow a predesignated path to thereby cut the workpiece to form an article having a specifically predetermined configuration. The jig is particularly adapted for use in a method of forming curved, square or rounded vertically oriented splash plates for mounting to laminated counter tops.
2. History of the Prior Art
Heretofore, cabinet makers and carpenters have had to rely on hand forming techniques to shape end splash units for counter tops and the like. The end splash units are designed to extend vertically with respect to the surface of a counter top so as to provide a barrier to prevent liquids or articles on the counter tops from spilling or being accidentally forced off the edge of the counter. The hand forming of end splash units is particularly difficult and time consuming especially in those instances where the counter top is rounded or shaped so as to form a curved lip which extends along the front portion thereof so as to provide a barrier to prevent liquid from running over the front edge of the counter top.
There are numerous Workpiece holding benches and guides which are available to the craftsman. In Klein U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,374, a jig and template apparatus is disclosed for cutting and inserting a diagonal corner in a laminated plastic counter top. This apparatus permits a cutting tool to be guided by the edges of a template which is formed by adjustable frame members. The template is retained against the counter top by pneumatically operated pistons. The work to be performed using the jig and template is specific to forming a particular diagonal section in a counter top so as to permit a rotatable cabinet to be installed thereunder. The apparatus, however, is somewhat complex and bulky and the template must be adjusted for each use.
In Mericle U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,164, a nested template is disclosed which provides a series of slots for guiding a cutting tool over a workpiece to thereby form a plurality of concentric frame elements. The template, however, incorporates a plurality of bands which must each be screwed into engagement with the workpiece. Thus, the use of the templates is for cutting specific articles and necessitate a great deal of time and effort to mount and align the template bands relative to the work surface.
There are other prior art jig and template structures which are uniquely designed to permit a specific function to be performed on a workpiece. Many such structures, however, require complex supports and guides for aligning workpieces with the cutting or shaping tools. In some instances, the tools must be affixed to the apparatus to permit proper cutting and/or shaping alignment.
Some other examples of prior art jig and work support structures include Tesar et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,095,915, Norlie, et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,288, Kualheim et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,344,827, and Okey U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,353.